Department for Transport

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the planned improvements by Network Rail over the Christmas period will still take place given the industrial action at that time.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Network Rail has confirmed only eight of seventy planned work packages will be cancelled as a result of strike action but the majority of its £120 million programme of improvement works will go ahead over the Christmas period. The industrial action means that at the most important work sites, Network Rail will need to take possession of the railway earlier on Christmas Eve and hand it back at the end of the works later on 27 December than originally planned.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask His Majesty's Government when the energy support payments they pledged would be made available to all regions of the UK will be paid to people living in Northern Ireland; and what is the reason for the delay in making these payments.

Lord Callanan: On 19 December the Government announced that all households in Northern Ireland will receive support with their energy bills this winter through a single payment of £600. This is made up of £400 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme and £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payment. This will be delivered through electricity suppliers, with payments starting in January. For Northern Ireland we have developed and will deliver a separate and bespoke scheme, working with the separate Northern Ireland electricity suppliers, and respecting the very different nature of the energy market in that part of the United Kingdom.

Energy Supply

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask His Majesty's Government what further steps they will take to boost the (1) security, (2) efficiency, and (3) affordability, of energy supplies during the winter months.

Lord Callanan: The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. The Government is confident in its plans to protect households and businesses in the full range of scenarios this winter. The Government has put plans in place to secure supply and National Grid, working alongside energy suppliers and Ofgem, has launched a voluntary service to reward users who reduce their electricity demand at peak times. A similar scheme to reward voluntary demand reduction by the heaviest gas users to support energy security is also available, if required. Making homes and businesses more energy efficient is part of the Government’s wider long-term commitment, announced as part of the Autumn Statement, to reduce the UK’s final energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030 against 2021 levels. The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this parliament on decarbonising heat and energy efficiency measures. The Government has also rolled out a number of energy support schemes across GB and NI to support consumers over the winter with rising energy costs such as the Energy Price Guarantee, Alternative Fuel Payment, Energy Bills Support Scheme. For business the Government has set up Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

Department for Education

Schools: Inflation

Baroness Chapman of Darlington: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact of inflation on (1) school budgets, (2) the cost of uniforms, (3) classroom staff, (4) extra-curricular activities, (5) schools' energy bills, (6) school meals, and (7) the costs for parents associated with their child’s education.

Baroness Barran: Schools will receive an additional £2 billion in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years as a result of the 2022 Autumn Statement. The core schools budget, which covers schools’ day-to-day running costs, including schools’ energy bills and the costs of providing income-related free school meals, has risen from £49.8 billion in 2021/22 to £53.8 billion in 2022/23 and will continue to rise to £57.3 billion in 2023/24 and £58.8 billion in 2024/25. By 2024/25, funding per pupil will have risen to its highest ever level in real terms. These increases provide support to schools to deal with the impact of inflation on their budgets.From October 2022 to 31 March 2023, schools will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. This provides a price reduction to protect schools from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.The department is clear that school uniforms should be affordable. No school uniform should be so expensive that pupils or their families feel unable to apply to or attend a school of their choice. In November 2021, the department issued statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms to ensure the cost of school uniforms is reasonable. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms. Governing boards should be compliant with much of the guidance by September 2022 and fully compliant by summer 2023.Teachers’ pay is reviewed on an annual basis by the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), which considers the current economic climate. Pay awards this year provide a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of teachers, whilst delivering value for the taxpayer, and being careful not to drive inflation. The department has implemented the STRB’s recommendation of an 8.9% pay uplift to teacher starting salaries outside London in 2022/23, bringing them up to £28,000. The department has also implemented the STRB’s recommendation of a 5% pay uplift for experienced teachers and leaders in 2022/23. This is the highest pay award for experienced teachers in 30 years. Teachers and other classroom staff will also benefit from wider government cost of living support announced for households.The department supports a range of initiatives to increase access to high quality extra curricular activities. This includes investing £3.4 million between 2021 and 2024 to support the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to expand into more schools in the most disadvantaged areas of the country and investing over £200 million a year in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. HAF provides free holiday club places with activities and healthy food for children from low-income families during the summer, Easter, and Christmas school holidays. Additionally, both pupil premium and recovery premium can be used to fund extra-curricular activities.The government spends over £1 billion annually delivering free school meals (FSM) to pupils. Around 1.9 million disadvantaged pupils are eligible for free school meals (FSM) as well as an additional 1.25 million infants who receive a free meal under the Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) policy. Core schools funding has increased, which includes the FSM factor in the National Funding Formula £470 per eligible pupil this year. Universal Infant Free School Meal funding has also been uplifted to £2.41 per meal per child in June 2022 and backdated to 1 April 2022 in recognition of the cost pressures faced by schools.The government has announced further support, worth £26 billion, for next year. This is designed to target the most vulnerable households and families. This is on top of the £37 billion cost of living support provided by the government this year.

National School Breakfast Programme

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have toexpand the National School Breakfast Programme.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to continuing support for school breakfasts and has extended the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) for an additional year in November. We are investing up to £30 million in our national school breakfast programme until the end of the summer term in 2024. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment and wellbeing.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to (1) universities, and (2) colleges, on what help they provide to Ukrainian students in their studies.

Baroness Barran: The department is grateful to the higher and further education sectors for their extremely positive response in offering significant support to Ukrainian students and universities.The Office for Students, the higher education regulator in England, has published information for providers on the crisis in Ukraine, which can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/regulation/information-for-providers-on-the-crisis-in-ukraine. The department has also published guidance for colleges, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/helping-ukrainian-students-in-schools.The department continues to work closely with the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, and universities and colleges in England to ensure that students who are affected by the war in Ukraine are supported, and have a range of options available to them during this difficult time.

Pupil Exclusions: Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Traveller MovementDisrupting the School to Prison Pipeline, published in July; and what steps they intend to take in response to the recommendations made in that report.

Baroness Barran: The department recognises the issues faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people and how education can make a positive difference. The report contained seven recommendations for the department and the following sets out how we are responding to those recommendations.The report recommended that the clear disaggregation of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller identities as adopted by the Office for National Statistics for the 2021 Census, should be implemented across the education sector. As the report references Gypsy, Roma and Traveller data was collected in Census 2021 and phase one of the data has now been released: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity/bulletins/ethnicgroupenglandandwales/census2021. We are currently reviewing the harmonised standard for ethnicity, with any potential question changes being released in early 2024.The report recommended that the department must ensure a race equality & diversity policy is made a statutory element of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) for all schools. Already the PSED requires public bodies, including maintained schools and academies, to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.Schools have specific legal duties to publish information to demonstrate how they are complying with the PSED, and to prepare and publish equality objectives. Schools are also required to publish information relating to those who share a relevant protected characteristic and who are affected by their policies and practices. It is for schools to develop their own strategies for meeting their duties, however, the Department has published guidance for schools on how to ensure they comply with their duties under the Equality Act.In regard to Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans, the report recommended that all schools must have the ability and resources to provide assessment of them when requested by a parent or guardian, including annual reviews. Also, local authorities should consider providing base-level EHC Plans funding to all schools. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Green Paper, published in March 2022 sets out our vision to create a more inclusive education system with excellent local mainstream provision which will improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people who need more intensive support. Amongst those consulted was the department’s GRT Stakeholder Group and we are committed to publishing a full response to the consultation through an improvement plan early in 2023.The report also recommended that the department should require all school and academy trusts to establish an On-Site Inclusion Unit (OSIU). In July 2022 we published updated guidance on Behaviour in Schools and Suspension and Permanent Exclusion statutory guidance. The Behaviour guidance makes clear some schools can choose to have pupil support units (sometimes called ‘in-school units’) which should be used for two main reasons: to provide planned pastoral support for vulnerable pupils and as a last resort measure to support pupils at risk of exclusion.Additionally, the report recommended that expert headteacher panels should be established to provide final assessments for proposed permanent exclusions and the department should develop standardised reporting guidelines for monitoring the use of In-School exclusionary practices, and also develop guidance for best practice and use of in-school exclusionary practices.The updated Exclusion guidance is clear that, in all cases, schools should consider initial intervention to address underlying causes of disruptive behaviour which may minimise the need for permanent exclusion. Whilst a permanent exclusion may still be an appropriate sanction, schools should take account of any contributing factors.The statutory process to review school exclusions is clear that governing boards have a role to review the decision of the headteacher to permanently exclude and if the governing board decides to uphold the permanent exclusion, the parents will have the right to an Independent Review Panel.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Africa and Asia: Development Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total reduction in Official Development Assistance to the poorest countries in (1) Asia, and (2) Africa, last year; and how many projects saw a (a) reduction, or (b) elimination, of development funding.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Per the recently published Statistics for International Development (SID) for 2021 (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development) states that bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Africa decreased by £883 million (33.8 per cent) from £2,610 million in 2020 to £1,727 million in 2021. The country that that experienced the largest country-specific decrease in spend within Africa was Ethiopia. Bilateral ODA to Asia was £1,334 million in 2021, a decrease of £639 million (32.4 per cent) compared to 2020, and the largest decrease in country-specific ODA was experienced by Bangladesh (reduction of £116m from 2020). The FCDO 2021-22 annual report and accounts (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022) provides total Government ODA spend by country in pages 257-285 for the last five financial years.We do not specifically record the number of projects that saw reductions/elimination of development funding, however the SID states that ODA for 2021 decreased by £3,054 million compared to 2020 which was driven by the Government's decision to reduce ODA from 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income to 0.5 per cent in 2021. The SID reports the change in ODA spend between 2021 and 2020 by sector (page 38) and by region (pages 22/23).

Syria: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of attacks on villages in northern Syria, including Derik, Rotan, Um Harkan, Shalhomya, and Malla Abbas, on or around 20 November, resulting in civilian fatalities, including journalists.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not hold sufficient evidence to comment on these reported attacks. The UK is closely monitoring developments. We are engaging partners, encouraging restraint from activity that could lead to further destabilisation or civilian loss of life. Security and stability in the region are necessary to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition and its partners to continue the fight against Daesh.

Tigray: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Eritrean soldiers continue to target civilians in the Tigray region of Ethiopia following the cessation of hostilities on 2 November; and what assistance they are providing to the affected communities.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray has fuelled the conflict in northern Ethiopia making its resolution more difficult. The peace agreement is clear that Ethiopian Government forces will safeguard the sovereignty of the country and prevent provocation or incursion on either side of the border. We continue to urge the Eritrean Government to withdraw its troops in support of this peace agreement.According to the UN, approximately 5.4 million people in Tigray require life-saving aid. In the last nineteen months the UK has provided nearly £90 million to communities across Ethiopia affected by crises, including Tigray. Our partners on the ground are responding to the current crisis with UK funding, including via the £6 million we contributed to the Ethiopian Humanitarian Fund in August 2022 and via the £14 million for UNICEF announced during the former Minister for Development's recent visit to Ethiopia and disbursed to UNICEF in November.

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 21 November (HL3575), whether they will publish (1) the conflict analysis for Cameroon, conducted in 2019, and (2) the names of the independent experts they spoke to during the course of their research.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The FCDO's conflict analysis for Cameroon is an internal document and will not be published.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the international community, including the UK, retain any recognised role in Darfur, Sudan, as a humanitarian shield for the local population; and if not, what protection remains for non-governmental organisations in that country.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK continues to provide support to those affected by the ongoing violence in Darfur and has provided over £250 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan over the past five years; much of which has been allocated to Darfur. The UK works closely with the UN mission in Sudan (UNITMAS) to support its mandated tasks. This includes assisting the Sudanese authorities to implement the Juba Peace Agreement and their National Plan for the Protection of Civilians to help establish a secure environment and address instability in regions such as Dafur. We have consistently sought to maintain attention on the humanitarian situation in Darfur; by raising this issue at the UN Security Council and advocating for the Sudanese military to allow unfettered humanitarian access to allow support to reach those in need.

Ebola: Vaccination

Baroness Suttie: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the World Health Organization (WHO) about approving the use of vaccines (1) to prevent, and (2) to mitigate, outbreaks of Ebola in endemic countries.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK regularly engages with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), to support research and use of vaccines to prevent and mitigate the spread of ebolavirus disease. For example, the UK supported research to develop an effective vaccine against the Zaire ebolavirus, which is approved by WHO and national regulatory authorities, and is used to control outbreaks in west and central Africa. The UK is also currently in regular dialogue with WHO, CEPI and other partners as part of our wider support to the Government of Uganda to take trials forward for candidate vaccines against the Sudan ebolavirus.

BBC World Service

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what account they take of the requirement, under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to assist in the dissemination of news and information to citizens denied access to free media in their homelands when determining BBC and FCDO priorities for the World Service and other related spending.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to support mechanisms to deliver news and other information to people living in North Korea.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The FCDO strongly values the BBC World Service's role in bringing high-quality and impartial broadcasting to audiences in need, particularly where free speech is limited.The BBC has provided assurance that it will continue to serve audiences in countries lacking media freedom and a free press, such as North Korea. Through the World 2020 programme, the FCDO provides support to the BBC Korean service which is aimed at audiences across the Korean Peninsula, including inside North Korea where access to international media sources is extremely limited.The UK is committed to media freedom, and to championing democracy and human rights around the world.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a timeline ofassurances given by the government of Saudi Arabia to His Majesty’s Government on the existence of a moratorium on the death penalty for drug offences in Saudi Arabia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. I [Lord Ahmad] raised the 2021 moratorium with the Saudi Vice Foreign Minister on 13 December, with the Saudi Ambassador on 24 November, and on 21 December with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. We regularly raise our concerns with the Saudi authorities regarding the death penalty at the highest levels and will continue to do so.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will retain the protections for species afforded by the the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

Lord Benyon: My department is carefully considering the retained EU law (REUL) caught by the sunset clause in the REUL Bill, which will include the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (the Habitats Regulations). In reviewing retained EU law, Defra’s aim is to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose and able to drive improved environmental outcomes, whilst also ensuring regulators can deliver efficiently. This will ensure the UK regulatory framework is appropriate and tailored to the UK. The Government has been clear that any changes to REUL will not have the effect of reducing the levels of environmental protection.

Sky Lanterns

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tacklethe risk of (1) fire, and (2) other serious issues, caused by sky lanterns in England.

Lord Benyon: Local authorities already have powers to restrict or ban the use of sky lanterns on council land and a number of councils have already introduced a ban. We have also supported the industry to develop a voluntary code of practice for sky lanterns which helps ensure that they are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly.

Home Office

Police: Training

Lord Dear: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 2 November (HL Deb, col 232) concerning policing and the possible reestablishment of Staff College, when they will respond to that question.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The College of Policing was set up in 2012 to set and improve standards for excellence in policing, including recruitment, leadership, professional development and assessment. The College’s role is clear: setting high professional standards sharing what works best; acting as the national voice of policing; and ensuring professional development and police leadership are of the highest quality and that they uphold the highest ethics. There are no plans to re-establish the old Police Staff College.

Fentanyl

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the illicit use of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues has increased since 2019; how many deaths there have been since 2019 where illicit fentanyl is known to have contributed to the cause of death; and what steps they are taking to prevent the advertising and sale of these substances.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish annual statistics on ‘Deaths related to Drug Poisoning’ for England and Wales. The most recent update, published in August 2022, provides data up to 2021 on the number of drug-related poisonings. Data indicates a decline in fentanyl and fentanyl analogue related deaths from a peak in 2017 of 75 fentanyl-related deaths and 31 fentanyl analogue related deaths, to 58 fentanyl-related deaths and 3 fentanyl analogue related deaths in 2021. The statistics include all deaths related to fentanyl and/or fentanyl analogues, including fentanyl that has been lawfully prescribed.The ONS provide data on Drug Misuse in England and Wales, with the most recent update published in December 2022. Specific data on the use of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues is not available.Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues are controlled as Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The penalties for supply are life imprisonment an unlimited fine, or both; and for possession these are seven years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.A number of fentanyl-based medicines have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and are therefore able to be sold and advertised legitimately by pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors who hold a Home Office controlled drugs licence.As part of our Drug Strategy, the Home Office is investing £300m over three years to mobilise a robust and innovative end-to-end plan which attacks the illicit supply of drugs at every stage, undermining the business of criminal drugs supply from source to street.

Police: Misconduct

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government whether individuals awaiting the outcome of gross misconduct hearings conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct are eligible for appointment to roles (1) in the police service, or (2) in the offices of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Existing officers who apply to change roles or transfer to another force will be subject to relevant vetting checks. Police forces carry out their vetting in line with the statutory code of practice on vetting and vetting authorised professional practice (APP) guidance which are issued by the College of Policing.The guidance states that professional standards checks, which includes complaint and misconduct history, should be carried out on applicants and transferees. It also states that where an individual is subject to a complaint or conduct investigation that is not yet complete, they should not be allowed to transfer without the permission of the appropriate authority of the parent force and Head of PSD of the receiving force. Decisions on appointment in the police service are made by chief officers.Decisions on appointment in the offices of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are made by PCCs as the directly elected, local representatives for policing.”

Home Office: Religion

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey collect data on the religious affiliation of civil servants in the Home Office.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collect, on a self-declaration basis, religion and belief data of members of Home Office staff. The latest published data can be found on Gov.UK.

Demonstrations: China

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government, followingthe protests outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester, whatsteps they are taking to protect (1) British citizens protesting peacefully in the UK against the government of China, and (2) Chinese protestors living in the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights set out that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. This government will support these rights, including the right of individuals to engage in peaceful protest. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law. The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police. In certain circumstances, the police have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect those who want to exercise their rights peacefully.

Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner: Public Appointments

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland about appointments made by him; whether any such discussions included (1) disqualifying factors for prospective employees, and (2) the need to seek employment references prior to appointment; and if so, what were the results of those discussions.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As the directly elected, local representative for policing, it is for PCCs to make decisions about the appointment of their staff and the size, composition, and resourcing of their office.PCCs are required by legislation to seek the views of their Police and Crime Panel (PCP) when appointing senior positions within their office. The PCP must hold a confirmation hearing in public with the proposed candidate, and subsequently produce and publish a report and recommendation for the PCC on whether the PCP supports the proposed senior appointment. The ultimate decision on appointment lies with the PCC, and they may accept or reject the recommendation made by the PCP.

Slavery

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of people in modern slavery in the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The hidden nature of modern slavery makes producing an accurate measure of its scale difficult.In March 2020 the Office for National Statistics noted that there is no definitive source of data or suitable method available to accurately quantify the number of potential victims of modern slavery in the UK. The Government is, however, committed to improving its understanding of the nature and scale of this complex crime. Since 2019, the Government has invested £10 million in the creation of the Policy and Evidence Centre for Modern Slavery and Human Rights to transform our understanding of modern slavery. The Home Office will continue working with the Centre and other partners to strengthen the evidence base underpinning our policy and operational response to modern slavery and to develop more robust ways to assess prevalence.

Slavery: Supply Chains

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the effectiveness of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in driving slavery out of supply chains.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.The landmark ‘Transparency in Supply Chains’ provisions in the Modern Slavery Act have driven a change in business culture, spotlighting modern slavery risks on boardroom agendas and within the international human rights community. We recognise, however, there is more to do to keep businesses focused on this important issue.Compliance with section 54 is high. In 2019, the Home Office contracted the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) to undertake an audit of compliance with section 54. The audit was concluded in January 2020 with data accurate up to this point. The high-level findings of this audit were published on 17 September 2020 in the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s annual report available here at Gov.UK.In addition, in March 2021, the Government launched the modern slavery statement registry to radically enhance transparency by bringing together modern slavery statements on a single platform. The registry will provide a key tool for Government and others to monitor and drive compliance with section 54 . We have been encouraged by use of the registry. Since launch, over 9,300 modern slavery statements covering over 31,200 organisations have been submitted on a voluntary basis.

Asylum: Hong Kong

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to thosewho have fled Hong Kong and are claiming asylum status in the UK; and of those applicants, how many are women.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it.

Slavery

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government when the 2022 UK annual report on modern slavery will be published.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: This Government remains committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted. We will continue to pursue the criminals who seek to profit from these crimes, and ensure genuine victims get the support they deserve.Given recent changes, Ministers are considering next steps on our strategic approach, including publication of a Modern Slavery Report.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Audit

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to improve audit procedures for local authorities.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We remain committed to delivering on our response to the Redmond Review. More details can be found (attached) here.   Government responses to the Redmond review (pdf, 83.2KB)

Small Businesses: Urban Areas

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to encourage local small businesses to set up on the high street.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: This Government is committed, through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, to reinvigorate high streets and town centres and ensure local economies thrive and evolve. This new legislation will play an important role in reviving our high streets by introducing High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs). HSRAs will empower places to tackle decline by bringing vacant units back into use and will seek to increase cooperation between landlords and local authorities, and to make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs, local businesses and community groups.

Domestic Abuse: Refuges

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to support refuges for victims of domestic violence to afford necessities such as utility bills, given the increased cost of living.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Refuges provide vital services for victims of domestic abuse who need to flee their home. DLUHC is committed to the delivery of safe accommodation with support for all victims of domestic abuse, as part of the Government’s overall Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.The Government has put in place a number of energy assistance measures to provide support during the current cost of living crisis. We are working to ensure that domestic abuse sector providers are aware of, and able to take up, all energy assistance and advice available to them. We will monitor this carefully and work with partners on mitigating the impact of the cost of living crisis.On 12 December the Minister for Housing & Homelessness announced two years of government funding - £127.3 million and £129.7 million for delivery of safe accommodation services in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This funding will enable local authorities to make longer term commissioning decisions and give certainty to local providers such as specialist domestic abuse refuges.

Local Government: Fees and Charges

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have madeof the amount of money collected by local authorities through fees and charges that are not council tax, business rates and rents for social housing.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Sales, fees and charges income is reported in local authorities' Revenue Outturn returns and totalled £13.973 billion in 2021-22, the latest year for which these data are available. This excludes council tax, business rates and housing revenue account income.This information is publicly available (attached) in table 2x here.local authorities' Revenue Outturn returns (pdf, 856.8KB)

Pedestrian Areas and Roads: Snow and Ice

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what financialsupport they provide to local authorities to ensure that they have the resources to grit roads and pavements adequately during icy weather; and whether there has been any change in the level of the resources provided in the last three years.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980 places a duty on local authorities to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway, including pavements, is not endangered by snow or ice.   The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2023/24 makes available an additional £5 billion to councils in England, an increase of 9% in cash terms compared to 2022/23. Taking 2022/23 and 2023/24 together, we have increased the funding available to local government in England in real terms.   The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities, including the gritting of roads and pavements.

Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the adequacy of the bands used for calculating council tax.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: As the Secretary of State set out recently, we keep all such policies under review.

Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel has met informally; and whether members of that panel will be paid.

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 8 December (HL3777) when they expect the Strategic Futures Panel will meet.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Further to my previous answer, the Panel has not yet met. Details of meetings and payment of panel members will be confirmed in due course and will follow established practice.

Social Rented Housing: Young People

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many young people aged 16to 25 are currently on social housing waiting lists in England.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decline in social housing lettings to young people aged 16 to 25 over the last decade; and in any such assessment, what conclusions they have drawn as to the explanation for this.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.Local authorities are responsible for allocating social housing through schemes they set locally and therefore they ensure that the priority for social housing goes to those who need it most.

Planning: Inspections

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements are in placefor declarations of interest concerning planning inspectors; and whether there is a code of practice.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Planning Inspectors and other Planning Inspectorate officials are bound by the organisation's Code of Conduct, which covers declarations of interest among other issues.